Gripping mechanism for printing-machines.



4 yL. E; MORRISON. GRIPPING MEGHANISM FORIPRINTING MACHINES.

Patented May 30, 1911.

2 SHEETS-SHEET l.

To' allaehom 'it may concern.'

IN1] i TED sTAfrns PATENT oFFioE.

LEWIS MORRISON, OF NEWARK, NEW JERSEYASSIGNOR TO AUTOMATIC PLATEN PRESS COMPANY,OF NEW YORK, N. Y., A CORPORATION OF NEW JERSEY.

GRIPPING MECHANISM FOR PRINTING-MACHINES.

, Specification of Letters Patent. 4

Application 1ed`J'anuary 17, 1908. Serial No. 411,248.

` Bel it known that I, LEWIS E. MORRISON, a

itizen of the United States of America. and a resident ofthe city of Newark, county of AEssex, State of `New4 Jersey, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Gripping Mechanism for Printing-Machines,

. p of which the :following is a specification.

' This invention relates to gripping mechanism for printing machines andl has more particularly reference to a gripping. mechanism for use on high speed automatic platen y. printing presses, of a constri'ictionsuch as outlined in my application, filed Jan. '2, 1907, 'Sei'. No. 350,516, but of course, the present l invention 'may also be adapted to other` `kind v The .object of the invention is to 'of presses. i

provlde a 4simple and effective gripping mechanism adapted. to beI operatedn at very high speed without danger of breaking or getting out of order. I-Ience I embody my invention in the formof agripping mechanism comprising primarily. an, endless conveyer, suitably driven and guided, and provided with sets of Vfrippers for seizing the sheet to be printed, r sup]` ,t it while the printingtakes place and to deliver' the sheet, printed side up.

Myl invention further comprises means for I'elievingthe conveyer of all strains; and I also provide means, which to the best of my l knowledge, arenovel'in this art,.for positioning the grippers ony the endless conveyer,

before' the printing' is done, whereby a perjfect register is obtained.

To this end my invention consists of such l" elementsand arrangements of parts as will `hereafter more fully appear, While rererence 7 is had to the accompanying drawings, 1n

f Which the invention is shown in its preferred jform; although I do not'wish to be limited to the precise form shown.

The detailed construction will be described in the :followin specification and the novel features pointe out in the claims.

vIn the said drawings Figure 1 is a side elevation of a'printing machine, as outlined in the application above referred to and provided with my improved gripping mechanism, some details being omitted. e Fig. 2 is an enlarged detail view of the gripping mechai nism proper with some parts removed. Fig.

'3 is a detail view of parts of the gripping mechanism looking 'from the front of the machine. F 4 is a bottom view of parts shown in Fig. 3 and Fig'. 5 is a sectional view on line 5-.5 of Fig. 4.

In the drawing the reference nulneral 1 indicates' the frame of a printing machine to which my improved gripping mechanism has been attached. i

2 indicates the platen, which in this instance is stationary, while 3 is the form car rying member having the form 4. The form carrying member is in this machine oscillat-V ing and is oseillated by means of the toggle links '5 and 6 connected at 7 to the crank S which in turn is mountedr on the gear 9 driven 'from pinion 10 on main shaft 11 to which power is applied in any convenient form. The member 3 is rigidly fixed in a pair of swinging arms 12 pivoted on theV frame at 13. As the gear 9 rotates the toggle links are alternately closed and straightened and carry the form member with them, imparting an oscillatory motion to the latter, swinging around 'pivot 13.

Referring now more particularly to the detail views, it will be seen that on the platen are mount-ed sprocket wheels 14, 15 and 16 by means of brackets or otherwise. Sprocket wheel 16 is mountedin a box 17 which is adjustable by means of the bolt 18. In this manner I take lup wear inthe chain 19 which is in mesh `with the wheels. The sprocket wheel 14 is the driver and is driven intermittently by means of gear 2O and rack 21, (Fig. l), through pin 23 in gear 20 operating ratchet 22. This construction is shown in Fig. 3. The parts are so arranged that when the rack moves down the pin engages the ratchet or disk 22 -in the usual manner and. rotates the shaft 24, while when the rack movesup the pin moves idly in the tapered groovey 25. This construction has certain advantages to be pointed ont later. Thus it will be clear that the chain 19 is driven intermittently on every down stroke of the rack 21, which latter may be conveniently mounted on the crank 8. On the chain 19, of

which there is one on each side ofthe platen,

ready to receive the sheet, the Ipreceding set sheetis fed from any suitable feeding mechamsm, preferably an automatic feed'and-of which the feed board-or in platen presses the I registering table-'eis indicated vat 26. rlhis Will be clear from Fig. 2 which shows the parts in the position Withvthe impression on. In this vieiv the character 27 indicates a sheet beingfed onto the set of grippers 28 nearest the front, vivhileanother lsheet 29 is being held up against the `platen by the set of grippers indicated at 30. At 31 is'shown a third set of4 grippers, gripping a printed sheet 82 and about to carry it to the pointof delivery, While at 33 '1s shown a set of grippers about to deliver' a sheet 34 in the delivery receptacle. 36 indicates the fifth set of grippers on the downward traveling portion of the chain.

Fromthe `abo/e it will be seen that the two sets of grippers 28 and 83- are being opened at once, and in thedraiving is further shown a pin` 37 which serves to position a'set of grippers When the same arrive at the rear edge of the platen byl being moved, down through a hole 3 8 in a lug 39 of the gripper set and registering said hole with another hole 40 in the track 41. The lug 39 thus acts as a registering means for the chain and grippers.

hile the printing takes place the rear the' sheet is supported by a member as 42, Which indicates a swinging yielding brush, Which' is'rnoved' -dovvn to alloyv the grippers to pass and immediately thereafter moves up so that the sheet is dragged out between this member and the platen. The particular construction and operation of this member are fully set forth in the application above referred to'and form no part of this invention.

,"shoWn'r-Just before the form leaves The movement of the variousI sets of grippers cannovvbe understood and isas follovvs. In the position sho n in Fig. 2 the impression is on,-the

the platen the pin 37 -moves up, the grippers`28 and 33 close, respectively after taking and delivering a sheet, and the sprockets are driven yanti-cl0ckivise so that the grippers travel a distance equal to the distances be tween the. different sets.

This motion relsults in the sheet 27.beingplace`d under the platen. Now the 'pin 37 moves down posi ltioningthe grippers 28 before the next impression and the two sets of grippers at the receiving and delivering point are open, and so on.

The means Mounted transversely on the platen beam is.' a rocke shaft 43, which is rocked byy means of the arm 44, link 45, carrying-cam roll 46 coast-ing with cam 47 on at its rear end the pin 3T.

` rocked doivnua'rdlyand the different levers,

orm not beingk @in the shaft, so thateach jawgets a certain amount of play, Vtension of the spring,

infor operating the individual` sets of grippers and the pin 37 Will now bey described.

shaft 48. As this cam rotatesrthe shaft-"43 ,is rocked. On one end of the latter is fixed a lever 49 intermediate its ends. Connected to the front end of this lever by. means of the link 50 is a bell crank pivoted on shaft- 'i0 24. rthe one arm 5l of said bell crank is connected to the link, ivhile the other arm 52 acts as a cam to open the gripper set,ivhie`hl happens vvto be in the position to receive a sheet. Also pivoted intermediate itsY ends at 53 is another lever 54 connected by pin and slot connection, to the lever 4S) and carrying At the common pivot 54a of these two levers is connected al jointed link pivot-cd at 56 and having the 8.0 cam surface 57 foropening the grippers at the point ofy delivery. The operation of these parts is as follows: Immediatelybefore the impression takes place, shaft 43 is 85 links and connecting parts assume the positions shown in Fig. 2that is, the two sets of grippers are opened and the pin 3T positions the one set for printing. After the 'printing is done, the rock shaft 43 is rocked upwardly"` with the result that the pin 3T isnioved up, the'cam 52 leaves the grippers 2S 'andthe same close on the sheetto be printed. the cam 57 moves down-and grippers close after having delivered the sheet in the re-' 95 ceptacle The chain is fnoYVA driven and 4` the operation repeated. lj

The individual gripper set is constructed A as follows: see Figs. 3,4 and 5. Fastene'd to a link in the chain on each side and indi# l1-Q0 cated at 5S. Fig. 4, is anupper gripper jaw 59. which stretches transversely of the ma! 'chine between the two chains,-thus being alivays kept in the same fixed position" par`al' lel to the axis of the form member. On said jaiv is mounted a gripper shaft- (50 which. carries the individual lower gripper javvsl, which are kept closed against 'the upper jaw by thespring (32. The loivengripper 1 jaivs are held on the' `gripper shaft 60 by pins 110 4as '63 and in fastening these tivoiparts together the holes for the pin in the grippers iaWs are made slightly larger thanl `theholes which bringsit under `the sothat no adjustment of the lovver jaws is necessary after they have been fixed inthe shaft. individually spring actuated grippers. the one end of the gripper shaft is mounted an arm 64 carrying the roller G5 for opening the grippers by contact with either the cam .52 or 57 as above described. Outside the chains on the links 58- is mounted the regisy tering lug 39 having the hole 38 for registering With the'hole 40 in track 41 aforesaid. While the grippers -are'being opened to receive a sheet the lug 39 rests on the feet of the bracket 66 one on either side, the said feet of these brackets being level with and This insures Y... I A125,05

essary. The upper gripper' jaw 5 9 carries are supported on the tracks, both while being operated by hand and every turn in the drivsprockets '14, hence the grippers'would be serre-r3 formingFthe beginning of the track 4l as` seen in ig. 2, and at the same time the lugs on thegrippers at the delivering point rest on a track 6 7, andn under a rail 68. In this manner the strain of opening the individual gripper sets is removed from the chain and put on the tracks, and While moving, the registering lugs 39 are supported on the tracksas shown, tl-nisftaking ,the `Weight of grippers onthe chains. 'On the downward travel in front no tracks have been found necone ormore stops 70 against which the leading edge ofthe sheet is registered as it passes into the grippers.

From the above it will be clear that as the five upper gripper jaws arerigidly fixed to certain links in the chains, they cannot vary their position, but must travel parallel to one another; further, that all weight and `strain are removed from the chains as the gripper-s opened and While traveling. VIt will also beV underside it is delivered printed side up `Within convenient reach :for examination.

The reason an ordinary ratchet and pawl mechanism for driving the chains has not been employed is this: that While making` ready or inspecting the press, the same .is

ing direction of the rack would result in rotation of the. shaft 24 carrylngthe ldriving apt to become out. of position. But with the mechanism. employed, the press may be turnedback and forth and only when the pin Q3 4can enter the groove Q5 at its deepest point the grippers will move, and that will always be when the grippersi have the right position with relation to the other parts.

Fromv the above it is thought that my invention in its details of construction and operation is clear. In practice it has been found that a gripper lmechanism constructed on these linescan be operated successfully at very high speed, as no motionfislost as in the case of reciprocating gripper.

`I claim i.

1.I In a gripping mechanism the combination of conveying means, a plurality 0f rigid gripper bars carried thereon, movable 'gripper Jaws mounted on said bars, reglster means earried by the said conveying means `andfadjacent each set of grippers, guiding means for 4the said grippers, the said register and guiding means being provided With regmovable cams for opening the grippers and operating connections between the said register member and the said cams for operating the same sinmltaneously.

3. The combination of an impression member, a sheet receptacle fixed above the same, grippers, movable means for causing the said grippers to travel below the said impression member and above the said sheety receptacle, gripper openingr cams pivoted at the front end of the impression member and adjacent the said receptacle, means for registering the grippers at the rear rnd of the impression. member, connections between the said cams and the said registering means and mechanism for operating the said connections intermittently and simultaneously.

Signed at New York, N. Y., this 1l day of Jan. 1908.

LE WIS E. MORRISON.

Witnesses A Ivm` Koismserne,

Gro. A. HOFFMAN.

ister openings, and a vertically reci rocating. 

